2:04:00 PM

My fiancee and I saw this meteorite fall on our way home tonight. We were traveling northbound on the 51 fwy in North Phoenix around 9:20 pm this evening. It was definitely between 9:10 and 9:30 pm. It appeared to travel from west to east heading possibly north. It was very bright and we watched it break into three pieces which quickly turned from bright to dark. It was very bright and seemed close. If you gauge 12 o'clock as due north, straight in front of our car, then I would say it was in the 11 o'clock position. Not sure how to explain. Quite brilliant and large. I hope this is helpful. Please let us know if you have any questions. thank you Carol for this report...Others??...email us at wxtx01@gmail.com

4:17:00 AM

Most Reports Indicate Meteoroid Entered Atmosphere Over Central Texas Just Before Midnight CDT 22 May 2012 With Fragmentation and Sonic Booms...Central and North Texas Fireball Camera Operators Notified.

If you saw this event and/or have/know of video, photographs, cell phone pics, security cam footage etc., please email us with those. Also, we need your sighting reports !! Send to WXTX01@GMAIL.COMPlease include your location, which way you were facing, direction object traveled (upper right to lower left etc. is OK), approx. duration, any fragmentation, sounds (booms, hisses etc.), color, brightness (as compared to a full moon etc.) Thank you for your assistance with this event!

4:54:00 PM

AZ METEORITE HUNTER ROBERT WARD IS THE FIRST TO FIND METEORITES FROM DAYLIGHT FIREBALL OVER NORTHERN CA...22 April, 2012

First Fragments Of The Sunday April 22nd Fireball Bolide Turn Up Between Sacramento And Lake Tahoe

Lisa Warren snapped three quick photos of a meteor streaking across the sky above Reno on Sunday morning, April 22. The meteor created a sonic boom heard over hundreds of miles from the Reno-Tahoe area to Southern California.

This event interested my office neighbor at the SETI Institute, says Peter Jenniskens, an expert in meteor showers who also retrieved the fragments of 2008TC3 in Sudan in 2008. He pointed out that the size of the Californian meteor is very similar to 2008TC3, hence fragments should have reached the surface. Getting fresh fragments of meteoroids, called meteorites, is key for astronomers to understand the composition of those remnants of the formation of the solar system. Fresh fragments are unaltered by the Earth’s weather and erosion processes, so they are pristine samples which can be used to detect organic materials for instance.

On Tuesday several scientists from the Bay Area met at NASA Ames to discuss a strategy for a search campaign. An examination of the radar data map by Marc Fries revealed that dozens of fragments from 100g to 1 kg range may have reached the surface in an area NW of Placerville, in the Gold country.

Radar map by Marc Fries showing the possible location of fragments (green area) of the meteor between Auburn and Placerville.

7:14:00 PM

The 2012 Lyrid meteor shower will be excellently seen from the entire northern hemisphere and may peak near April 22, 6h UT. Note though that the peak times vary by a few hours every year. Perhaps European observers see highest rates in their morning hours, or it will be even the north-American west coast that experiences the best display. We encourage all meteor observers to find out! A live graph has been set up for showing the results from your observing reports.

1:47:00 AM

LYRID METEOR SHOWER: The annual Lyrid meteor shower peaks this weekend on the night of April 21-22 when Earth passes through a stream of debris from ancient Comet Thatcher. Usually the shower is mild (10-20 meteors per hour) but unmapped filaments of dust in the comet's tail sometimes trigger outbursts ten times stronger. This year's peak coincides with a new Moon, so lunar interference will not be a problem. The promise of a good display has prompted NASA to plan an unusual 3D meteor photography experiment combining observations from the ground, a research balloon, and the International Space Station. More information, observing tips, and live audio from a meteor radar are available on today's edition of http://SpaceWeather.comBrowse the links for more information:observing tips, meteor radar, NASA chat, 3D meteors, Lyrid video.

2:37:00 AM

Nebulous reports of a possible Daylight Fireball Event over north TX at roughly 5:53pm CDT on April 20th, 2012 have been received at ELPALLSKY. These reports were transmitted to us anonymously and we will not post ANY reports on this event until sources can be verified. Please email wxtx01@gmail.com w/ your name, location, date and time, direction you were facing, direction the object traveled (left to right etc. is OK), debris or smoke trail observed, color, and any sounds i.e. sonic booms heard. Thank you!

20APR2012kenneth wilsonClyde, TX. USA5:53 central timefrom my view it was about 2 seconds but could be longer as i lost sight of it behind the trees in my yardi was facing north path of travle was W-S-W to E-N-E at about 20 degrees down.It was out of the clouds when i first saw it then came thru the clouds and disappeared behind the trees in my yard. It was yellow to white in color and i saw it from my angle for about 2 seconds.If Hawley or OKC had there cameras runing they should both have seen it as it was in the area just above the Hawley camera from my prospective. NO soundbrighter then venus but not as bright as the full moon.not that i could seenone

In 2011 the bright moon overshadowed visibility for many meteor showers, but now Lady Luna has decided to share the stellar stage. For the 2012 Lyrids meteor shower, a new moon will set darker skies that are ideal for meteor watching.

If you're looking for a fun way to spend an early spring weekend, make plans to stay "up all night" with NASA experts to watch the Lyrids brighten the skies. On Saturday, April 21, from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. EDT -- convert to your local time here -- meteor experts Dr. Bill Cooke, Danielle Moser and Rhiannon Blaauw from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center will answer your questions about the Lyrids via a live Web chat.

Joining the chat is easy. Simply return to this page a few minutes before 11 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 21. The chat module will appear at the bottom of this page. After you log in, wait for the chat module to be activated, then ask your questions!

A live video feed of the Lyrid meteor shower will be embedded on this page on the night of the Web chat, and there will be alternate allsky views being streamed from this allsky camera network.

The Lyrid meteor shower will be viewable all over the world, with best rates seen just before dawn at the location where you're watching the skies. The Lyrids are very unpredictable, with peak meteor rates between 10-100 per hour. This year Dr. Cooke estimates that the rate will be around 15 per hour, though he is hoping for a surprise increase above this!

More About the Lyrids

Lyrids are pieces of debris from the periodic Comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher and have been observed for more than 2,600 years. In mid-April of each year, Earth runs into the stream of debris from the comet, which causes the Lyrid meteor shower. You can tell if a meteor belongs to a particular shower by tracing back its path to see if it originates near a specific point in the sky, called the radiant. The constellation in which the radiant is located gives the shower its name, and in this case, Lyrids appear to come from a point in the constellation Lyra.

11:37:00 PM

At 4:16 A.M. April 16, 2012, Two Sandia Sentinel allsky fireball cameras recorded a significant fireball event over North Texas. If you observed this fireball, we need your reports. Please click hereto send us a description of what you saw. Please include your location, the direction you were facing, direction in which the object traveled (i.e. left to right etc.), approximate duration and color and any bright flashes or sounds observed.

image as seen from Hawley, TX-click to enlarge-N is up and E is left

image as seen from Oklahoma City, OK-click to enlarge-N is up and E is left

If you witnessed this fireball, please send a description of what you saw toELPALLSKY(click)Please give time and date, state your location, direction you were facing, direction object traveled (left to right etc. is ok), color, brightness, duration and any flashes seen or sounds heard. THANK YOU!!

7:28:00 PM

02APR2011-11:50 a.m. CD...This event is reported to have lasted up to ten seconds and varied in color. Meteor is said to have had a nearly vertical downward trajectory. If you witnessed this event, please indicate the time, your location, direction you were facing, direction in which the object traveled (left to right etc. is ok) color, and any flashes which may have accompanied this event. THANK YOU!

Email From:

Anonymous-College Station, TX:

It must have been big. I was 50 miles North of College Station traveling south and saw the part that appeared to drop straight down. People as far sought as San Antonio saw it while facing south as well. I have never heard of seeing a meteorite during the day. I only saw it for a few seconds before my view was blocked but it was pretty incredible.

Anonymous-San Marcos, TX:

It was around 11:50 and I was outside of San Marcos off of 21 by the airport. I was working in the field when I saw it fall straight down out of the sky. I was facing in the East direction and it looked like a white light blazing object.

2:31:00 PM

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